Most people are comfortable with “positive” feelings such as joy, happiness, love, and pride. But what happens when you experience so-called “negative” feelings such as jealousy, anger, pain, and shame? Do we allow those feelings to fully express themselves or do we shove them aside? Or, worse, do we avoid them altogether by numbing ourselves with alcohol, food, drugs, or addictive behavior (gambling, shopping, sex. Etc.)? Take this short quiz to see if all of your feelings are getting equal time:
- You avoid “negative” feelings because you feel ill-equipped to manage them? YES or NO
- You know that unexpressed feelings are probably affecting your physical health in the form of body pain, blood pressure, etc. YES or NO
- You often wish you had more “control” over your feelings. YES or NO
- You believe you can simply avoid unpleasant feelings by not thinking about them. YES or NO
- You find yourself using alcohol or drugs just a little too often to “relax, calm down, or avoid feeling __________”? YES or NO
If you answered YES to any of these questions, you may benefit by speaking to a professional therapist about learning to express and manage feelings. For more information, click here (insert hyperlink to appropriate web page).